TRAVELLERS REMOVED IN MITCHELSTOWN
The illegal halting site at the Canon’s Field, Mitchelstown was broken up by Gardai early last Thursday morning and all members of the travelling community have now vacated the site.
The move came as Gardai were granted permission from the local Superintendent to act following complaints made by the Leisure Centre Committee group, who own the site.
The group of travelers had been given a deadline of last Thursday, August 7 at 9am to vacate the site or face being physically removed. While the site was still inhabited by members of the travelling community by this deadline, the site was vacated soon after with minimal garda intervention.
“We had been in contact with the gardai since this thing happened at first,” a leisure centre committee member told The Avondhu, “and they said the right way to go about this was through negotiation and without confrontation.
"To give them credit, it was the right way to do it. We did not want to do something that would bring unwanted attention to Mitchelstown as these things can sometimes get out of proportion.”
The committee member added that the group’s main concern now was to block the entrances to the field to prevent further sites developing in the Canon’s Field.
Published:
Thursday 14th August 6:18pm